To become a registered nurse, you’ll need to first complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then obtain your state license to practice.
Some schools only accept students with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Others consider bachelor’s degrees in a related field such as psychology, biology or chemistry, provided candidates successfully complete prerequisite nursing coursework.
If seeking admission to a CRNA program without a nursing degree, you’ll first need to complete nursing school or the prerequisites required by the CRNA program.
Prerequisites usually consist of nursing coursework along with college courses in sciences and other subjects.
You must maintain a certain GPA as well. GPA requirements can vary between schools, but most programs require at least a 3.0 on a four-point scale.
Prior to enrolling in a nurse anesthesia program, some programs also mandate one to two years of prior full-time nursing experience.
The majority of nurse anesthesia programs take place on a full-time basis, and classes typically run over 76 academic weeks.
Most programs also include a summer session.
Classwork for a CRNA degree typically consists of the study of:
- Advanced nursing practice theory
- Research
- Healthcare administration and economics
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
- Pain management
Clinical experience is a critical component of nurse anesthesia education, and you can expect to spend much of your time on clinical rotations at a variety of settings.
These settings can include outpatient surgery centers, hospital surgical units and pain management clinics.